Cooking up an easy way to make a big impression on health care reform

All throughout August, our members of Congress are back in town. Insurance companies and partisan attack groups are stirring up fear with false rumors about the President’s plan, and it’s extremely important that folks like you speak up now.

So we’ve cooked up an easy, powerful way for you to make a big impression: Office Visits for Health Reform.

All this week, OFA members like you will be stopping by local congressional offices to show our support for insurance reform. You can have a quick conversation with the local staff, tell your personal story, or even just drop off a customized flyer and say that reform matters to you.

We’ll provide everything you need: the address, phone number, and open hours for the office, information about how the health care crisis affects your state for you to drop off (with the option of adding your personal story), and a step-by-step guide for your visit.

According to our records, you live near Sen. Arlen Specter’s office in Pittsburgh, PA.

Sign up now to visit Sen. Arlen Specter’s office in Pittsburgh this week.

(Not your representative, or think there might be another office that’s easier for you to get to? Click here to find a different office.)

As you’ve probably seen in the news, special interest attack groups are stirring up partisan mobs with lies about health reform, and it’s getting ugly. Across the country, members of Congress who support reform are being shouted down, physically assaulted, hung in effigy, and receiving death threats. We can’t let extremists hijack this debate, or confuse Congress about where the people stand.

Office Visits for Health Reform are our chance to show that the vast majority of American voters know that the cost of inaction is too high to bear, and strongly support passing health reform in 2009.

Don’t worry if you’ve never done anything like this before. The congressional staff is there to listen, and your opinion as a constituent matters a lot. And if you bring a friend, you’ll have more fun and make an even greater impact.

Click below to sign up for an Office Visit for Health Reform:

http://my.barackobama.com/OfficeVisit

Wherever you live, these visits matter: Many representatives are pushing hard toward reform, and they are taking a lot of heat from special interests. They deserve our thanks and need our support to continue the fight. But those who are still putting insurance companies and partisan point-scoring ahead of their constituents must know that voters are watching — and that we expect better.

Earlier this week, the President wrote that “this is the moment our movement was built for” and asked us all to commit to join at least one event this month. This is the way to answer that call, and rise to the challenge of this moment together.

Thank you for going the extra mile when it matters the most,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart

Director

Organizing for America

When people opposed to the President’s health care reform plan show up to town hall meetings, they are minions of big insurance. When his supporters show up, they are constituents.

Well, you have the invitation to prove that it was sent to constituents. I’d like to know how many of these “town hall” people really read the whole proposal? Or part of it? Have you noticed their ages, weights, overall health??? Old, fat people with health issues that have them grandfathered in under whatever program they were able to get from their employer way back when.

http://theformers.wordpress.com Debbie Thurman

Personally, I like El Rushbo’s (though I am not a fan, really) alleged take on Obama, the community organizer. Can’t find his exact quote, but he basically said a community organizer cannot be afraid of communities that organize — referring to those lining up to oppose the mammoth and ridiculous health care reform bill that NOBODY can reasonably find time to read in full because that’s they way this administration wants it.

Stir the pot, Dr. T.

carole

So much for “Change you can believe in.” It’s the same-old, same-old and very Nixonian to boot. You can’t stir passions for an issue where there is no passion

Pathia

There is so much anger, these people are angry about what may well keep me alive. This isn’t my country anymore, I don’t feel welcome. I think I really am going to start planning on moving to somewhere, where I can actually get healthcare. This is just getting scary.

In the end, I just want to live, is that such a a selfish thing to desire?

Mary

I hear ya’. The scare tactics frighten people. I am tired of the fight for rights. Why can’t people just have health insurance?

Jayhuck

Every time healthcare reform is attempted, you can bet all of the people who benefit from this multi-trillion dollar industry are going to do their best to make sure they aren’t “hurt” in the process – if a group is trying to scare you about reform, its best to research that group and understand their particular stake in the industry!

I’m SO SO tired of scare tactics being used. We need reform, we need it now, and we don’t need huge and powerful insurance companies trying to stop it.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/warrenthrockmorton Warren

jayhuck, please make sure you spell my name correctly when you report me to flag@whitehouse.gov.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/warrenthrockmorton Warren

For the record and jayhuck’s email, I also would like to see everybody have access to healthcare. There are some fixes that could make this happen without the government plan option, abortion covered by tax dollars if the Hyde Amendment is repealed, and reductions in current Medicare Advantage plans. If this was just about expanding eligibility and closing loopholes regarding pre-existing conditions, I would favor it.

I have actually portions of the bill. I wonder how many people who favor this thing have read any portion. Admittedly some who oppose haven’t read it either. However, it is a serious mistake to reduce opposition to greedy insurance companies. I am not an insurance agent and do not impersonate one in any venue.

Pathia

Warren,

I have seen nothing suggesting they are anything but uncaring monstrosities. They refuse to cover me, that’s one thing, but they dumped my mother from coverage while she was fighting cancer via a tiny loophole it what we’re pretty sure was a freaking typo on her original application.

Mary

When people talk about paying for the uninsured in their current medical costs what they are really paying for is the cost of not insuring more people and the cost of maintaining high corporate executive salaries. Basic economics. When less people are buying something – the price goes up.

carole

I was going to write down some thoughts, but I ran into this and decided to post it. When someone like Camille Paglia of Slate admits the Obama/House health package is an utter mess, it says a lot. Paglia is very left of center on most issues but is honest enough a writer to not let her leanings get in the way of her common sense when the left is plain not making sense in the same way Pat Buchanan is very right of center on most issues but is honest enough to draw attention to when the right is way off the mark.

I would like to add this–Gov. Pawlenty and others suggested that there is no reason that health care plans for group coverage need to be limited to one’s place of employment or even to a job at all. They have also suggested that allowing the purchasing of health insurance across state lines would mitigate all kinds of costs and help improve competition.

I get angry that a favorite talking point of Pelosi/Reid/Obama and all the surrogates is that the other party hasn’t offered alternatives. Not true at all. What is true is that the media hasn’t given them enough air time to promote those alternatives. The fourth estate has not done its job.

David Blakeslee

The Southern Poverty Law Center is now implying that those who disagree with Obama are racists….

This argument undermines their overall credibility.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/warrenthrockmorton Warren

Yes, it does. As much I appreciate their efforts to fight real racism, they dilute those efforts by this rhetoric.